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| August 20, 2003 | Wednesday | Jumadi-us-Sani 21, 1424 |
Confusion over Test wicket preparation
KARACHI, Aug 19: There was uncertainty on Tuesday over the state of the pitch for the first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh.
A fair amount of grass left on the pitch when the whole square was put under covers. Apparently, it was claimed that Pakistan team management had requested the PCB for a lively pitch against the minnows of Test cricket.
But Agha Zahid, the PCB’s curator of pitches, is likely to get the track shaven and rolled on Wednesday morning.
Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, was unconcerned about the fuss over pitch preparation.
“Of course, it is the prerogative of the home board as far as preparation of the pitch is concerned. We just have to play on any surface provided by the hosts,” the Colombo-born former Australian batsman told a press conference on Tuesday.
“But if the pitch does not come up to required standards, then it is the match referee’s job to intervene into the matter,” he added.
Pakistan coach Javed Miandad expected the pitch to behave normally.
“Cricket is a one ball game. A batsman may get to a full-toss or a poor delivery. I expect the pitch to play true since both our bowling and batting are good.”
The toss could play a vital role inspite of Bangladesh’s poor record.
The tinge of green offers hope to fast bowlers but it may turn out to be a false alarm when the match finally starts.
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